At the end of the month, the only public transit service carrying people between New Orleans and Baton Rouge will unceremoniously come to an end. The state Department of Transportation and Development announced earlier this month that it can't afford the (relatively minuscule, in transportation terms) $750,000 annually to continue to fund the LA Swift, which carries around 10,500 passengers per month.

This bus is one of the only cheap, reliable ways for people without cars, in wheelchairs or on bike to get between this state's population and economic centers. It serves as a means for workers to reach their jobs, for family members displaced after Hurricane Katrina to reconnect, and for those who simply prefer a low-stress, environmentally friendly way of traveling between the two cities.

This isn't some underutilized service that merits the ax in the name of cutting out waste. Often, demand is so strong that prospective passengers must be turned away.

As advocates for expanded transportation choice in Louisiana, Bike Baton Rouge encourages the state to reconsider cutting this vital service. We also urge members of the public to express their support for its continuation.